Loren Davidson

It’s an absolutely gorgeous day here in the Bay Area. So I decided to spend some time inside recording “living room” quality demos of a couple of songs I’ve written in the last little while. A couple of them came out well enough to share.

You may notice that I’ve been experimenting with some contemporary musical styles. I think it’s important to keep adapting to what the rest of the world is listening to, as long as I can still express what I’m trying to say. And in some ways, contemporary Americana/folk is starting to circle back around to and incorporate musical motifs that I was playing with a while ago, while still taking them forward.

Wonderland

I’m always looking for new ways to describe my way of choosing to enjoy the best parts of what’s around me, creating that “Paradise state of mind” that I like to sing about and surround myself with. I’m not the first person to tag that type of world and life “Wonderland,” and I probably won’t be the last. But I think that “living life in Wonderland” is a good description of how I try to approach each day from a sense of wonder.

I couldn’t do a song with that title justice if I didn’t pay at least some tribute to Lewis Carroll. So I did. Hope you like it:

Wonderland – Loren Davidson (living room demo)

Apple Pie

I’ve experienced both of the extremes I describe in this song – the ups *and* the downs. And there have been times when someone’s loving attention really has made a difference in dragging me out of the downs. That’s pretty much what I’m trying to say here. As for *how* I say it…I think I’ve managed to tap into some of the spirit of what some contemporary bands and artists are doing musically. Let me know how it tastes.

Apple Pie – Loren Davidson – (living room demo)

Cheers,

Loren

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Ice spheres for your drink

A friend of mine, bartender Lauren at Forbidden Island, just posted a link to this article on the history of ice harvesting and ice-making in the US. It makes for very interesting reading.

I particularly like the way they describe those crescent-shaped icemaker cubes as “shitty hotel ice,” and then talk about how the search for a better ice cube, that won’t water down your drink.

Apparently the larger the cube the better, and the *good* machines will keep the water in motion, so that air bubbles don’t get trapped in the ice, clouding it.

Interesting Ice Cubes

Technology these days gives us the capacity to make ice “cubes” in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. For example:

• The “Death Star“
• Your own frozen Han Solo
• Get large cubes (don’t melt as fast) that remind you of Portal 2
• Make large ice spheres that don’t water down your drink quickly

What’s your favorite ice shape?

Cheers!

Loren

My Schedule: http://www.lorendavidson.com/schedule.html

Never miss an announcement (and get free downloads!) – subscribe here: http://www.lorendavidson.com/index.html

Own your favorite Loren Davidson music, a “Worst Day Sailing Beats the Best Day Working” T-shirt, or get a bunch of “5:00 Anywhere” stickers: http://lorendavidson.com/blog/store/products/

Follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lorendavidsonmusic

Yep. It’s that time of year again. Though I like to think I’m pretty good at giving thanks on a daily basis, for the blessings in my world. So this is perhaps as much of a recap for me as an annual meditation, but I thought I’d share it anyway…and go a bit deeper.

I’m going to be a bit politically incorrect and give thanks for having been born when and where I was, into the family I was born in. Yes, we were Jewish, which had some stigmas attached. But we were in the United States, in good communities, my dad was a veteran and able to take advantage of the GI bill after World War II, and he worked our way into the upper middle class. A whole lot of people in this world start with far, far less, and while I don’t intend to feel guilty for that…I do appreciate that a lot of where I am in the world was made possible in part by where I started.

I’m thankful that we had access to absolutely amazing, state-of-the-art healthcare, when I was very young and afflicted with something that could have left me in need of care my entire life, and that I was able to go to a couple of schools that gave me the space to be more than a square peg in a round hole, which could very well have left me labeled a “troublemaker” and undesirable.

I’m thankful that I had parents who, despite their flaws and issues, were both there to raise us with love. Yes, I’m still sorting through some of my childhood issues…but I could have had it *way* worse.

I’m thankful for my brother. We’re not particularly close, but he’s still *there*. I’m thankful to still be somewhat connected with some of my other blood relatives.

I’m thankful for the friends, the lovers, and the adversaries I have and I’ve had over the years, and for the “family” I’ve accumulated with whom I share no blood. I’m thankful for the teachers I’ve had, officially and otherwise.

I’m thankful for each step I’ve taken on my songline, because I wouldn’t be who I am today without each and every one of those steps.

I’m thankful for all of the places I’ve visited, from Cologne to Key West to California. Thankful for having had the opportunity to learn to think in another language, and the perspective that brought me. I’m thankful for the many wonderful people I’ve met in my travels, and for those who’ve become my friends.

I’m thankful for a bit of musical talent and a connection to my Muse and to the greater Muse of which she’s a part, and thankful that my halting efforts to manifest that Muse have found favor with some of you. I’m thankful to those who’ve helped me on my musical journey, some by offering support and others by offering criticism. And those who’ve offered both. In the long run, it all helps.

I’m thankful for a warm house, a comfortable bed, food on my table, and the means to continue to have these things.

And I’m thankful to the Universe, in His/Her many faces and guises, for helping me shape my luck a bit now and then. 🙂

This is the greatest life I’ve ever known.

On the subject of manifesting Paradise in everyday life:

(to the tune of “Island Standard Time“) – you can click and play this while reading.

I made a change in my life about a month ago that is shifting more things in my world than even I had originally imagined. And this one change has me thinking today about how I – we, actually – can change our world by changing what we input *into* that world.

In short, turn down the negative; turn up the positive.

In my Secret Identity as a mild-mannered tech writer, my previous office was in San Jose, which was about an hour’s commute each way. Last year, my job function and responsibilities shifted significantly, to where I no longer had to work in a particular office to be near a particular product team. Since I work for a big company with multiple offices here in the Bay Area, I asked to be moved to an office in Pleasanton, about a third as far away mile- and time-wise. That move finally happened in late August.

I’d anticipated some of the improvements – an extra hour’s worth of productive time every day, less money spent on gas and tolls. What I *didn’t* expect was how much less stress I would have as a result of this one change. A lot of things that used to cause my gut to clench…don’t now.

Part of that is just not stressing the commute, or anticipating stressing the commute, which was *also* stressful. But now that I have a shorter commute that isn’t as variable due to traffic, I don’t listen to news radio anymore on my way to work, or if I do, I just turn it on for what I want to hear and then turn it off. This has reduced the amount of stressful input into my cognitive world by quite a bit. I still have my Internet news…but I can choose what to read and to not read that way, rather than taking whatever gets shoved down the pipeline at me.

Net result: I’ve turned the volume on my stress *way* down, by turning the volume down on several causes of stress.

Meanwhile, I’ve got that extra hour and a bit on each of the three days I used to commute to San Jose. What am I doing with that?

Part of that time is going toward being more productive in my Day Job. This gives me a sense of getting stuff done rather than chasing my tail, which reduces stress and increases positive feelings about *me*.

And part of it…when I get home, I am making more of a practice of just sitting out on the front porch with my drink after I get home, rather than just plugging myself into the Internet. And *that* is radically turning up the pleasure and relaxation quotient in my life.

When I’m feeling more confident and more relaxed, I’m also more likely to pick up the guitar, rehearse something, or work on writing something. When I *do* get online, I’m less likely to be dragged down by someone’s angry rants, and more likely to respond with humor, empathy, an attempt to turn someone else’s stress down and their relaxation and joy up. Which doesn’t always work, but is always worth trying.

Turning down the stress and turning up the joy. It’s a very simple equation. The important things usually are.

It’s easy to resist doing even the little things. Habit is a powerful master. But “if you can’t change your mind, do you still have one?” Try something small, like not reading something you know is gonna piss you off.

And a new saying, that I’ve just invented, borrowing from others: Minds are like diapers. Every now and then they need changing, and generally for the same reason.

Out on the water – Italy vs. New Zealand

Last weekend, I finally made it down to the Bay to watch the AC-72s race in the Louis Vuitton Cup final – the prelude to the America’s Cup race series, which will begin on September 7. The current Cup races are exciting in that you can see them from the shore, and don’t need to be on an expensive boat. All you need to do is get to either the America’s Cup “park” at Pier 29, or someplace like Pier 39, the Jeremiah O’Brien (last of the “Liberty Ships” from WWII, or Marina Green. All will provide good views of at least part of the race course, fog permitting.

Here’s a map of the course and the best viewing areas.

The America’s Cup is one of the longest-running trophy series in the world, having been going on for 162 years. It has a very interesting and eclectic history, including races held around the world, politics, money, and the occasional crazed Maori. The current defenders of the Cup, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, got to specify many of the rules and guidelines under which this year’s races are being run.

Schooner America, near Pier 29 in San Francisco

The first Cup race back in 1851 was won by the first Schooner America, competing against 15 British boats off the Isle of Wight. The current Schooner America is a replica of that boat. She’s in town now, as the picture shows, but back around 2005 or 6, I got to sail and play on her down in Key West. Playing songs like “Southern Cross” on a boat with that much history…it gave me chills.

Performing on Schooner America

It was also fascinating to look at the “superyachts” tied up for the duration, and to spend time in a couple of the on-site bars at the Park. Apparently some of the fixtures in the Sports Bar came from the Oracle AC-72 that pitch-poled and was destroyed a few months back. The drinks are tasty, but way overpriced.

One of the “Superyachts”

Superyacht Musashi

Another “Superyacht” – with the NZ AC-72 behind it

Anyway, I had an exciting and fun day, even if I *did* get sunburned. In San Francisco. City of foggy days.

Getting to the Village and a viewing location like Pier 39 can be as easy as parking your car at a BART station in the East Bay (especially on the weekends), taking BART to Embarcadero Station in San Francisco, and heading north along the waterfront. If you can’t walk the mile or so to Pier 39, there are buses and pedicabs that can take you the distance.

The Cup races themselves begin on September 7, and run in a best-of-17 series between Oracle USA and Team Emirates (New Zealand). It’s a great time of year to visit the City by the Bay, and if you’re here for the races, maybe you’ll see me wandering around somewhere! Get all the info you need on the America’s Cup series on their Website.